The Evening Before
by LavenderStorm
Summary: Ever wondered how Soubi fought as Seimei's Fighter? On one training night in Seven Moons Academy, a battle begins between Beloved and Enraged unfolds! First story in the "Periods of the Day" series. Rated for some violence
1. Part One

**Thank you Ariliii, for being such a dedicated and careful beta-reader for this story.:)**

**Disclaimer: The characters Soubi and Seimei do not belong to me.  
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**Ever wondered what caused Seimei to lash out at his Fighter in "Long Night"? This story is set a few hours before the events in "Long Night". It can also be read on its own. Enjoy:)**

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**The Evening Before - Part One**

Evening. The settting sun cast a pale reddish glow over the Seven Moons Academy, seemingly foreshadowing the bloodbath that would soon occur. Metaphorically speaking of course.

A scene of mayhem greeted Agatsuma Soubi's eyes as he contemplated the usually clean, pristine and quiet corridors of the school. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but how else would one describe over fifty Fighters and Sacrifices rushing madly about, trying to find their companion, the other half of a pair?

It was the first training session of the new term and the students' spirits were abnormally high, eager for their first fight, eager to draw blood. Not so for Soubi however. If left to his own devices, Soubi would have absolutely no inclination to fight. However, this was not the case now; Soubi had a Sacrifice to protect, a Sacrifice to command him. And if fighting was the wish of his Sacrifice, then Agatsuma Soubi would willingly oblige.

But first, he had to find him. In the midst of the chaotic disorder, with students rushing left and right to search for their partner, Soubi closed his eyes and _reached. _He could feel it, pulsing strong and thick, the thread, representing the bond between them, that bound him to his Sacrifice and told him where his Sacrifice was.

Soubi opened his eyes and headed in the direction of the music room. It never occurred to him to call for his Sacrifice to come to him; it was as natural as breathing that Soubi should be the one to go to where his Sacrifice was, which he proceeded to do so with rapid speed, his long legs allowing him to move twice as quickly as compared to those who were not so blessed.

Arriving at the closed door of the music room, Soubi hesitated. Should he enter? After all, his Sacrifice had given no such order. As unpredictable as his Sacrifice was, Soubi was leery of arousing his anger. He decided that the most prudent course of action would be to knock on the door.

"Enter." The command given, Soubi relaxed and obeyed. Upon entering the brightly lit music room, his gaze was drawn to the lone person in the room. Black curly hair framed his sharp face and chiseled features and his soft, black cat ears were his crowning glory. Dressed in a black long sleeved t-shirt with a loose dark green tunic thrown over it and dark pants, he was currently lounging on the piano seat at the far end of the room. Yet, although shorter than Soubi, Aoyagi Seimei just had a way of dominating the room with his mere presence.

Aoyagi Seimei: the other half of the pair sharing the name 'Beloved', Sacrifice to his Fighter; his Master. Soubi moved towards Seimei hesitantly, unsure of his actions. Seimei's lips curved. "Come, sit by me." He tapped his foot on the ground once, indicating the spot he wanted Soubi to sit at. Soubi instantly complied, settling down to Seimei's right, with his long legs stretched out, head resting on the piano seat. Never mind the fact that they were supposed to be having a training session, that they were supposed to be battling against other students, Soubi was content to just sit by Seimei's feet; he was totally uninterested in any other interactions. After a moment, Seimei entwined Soubi's long golden strands of hair in his fingers, carelessly playing with them. Soubi tensed slightly at first – Seimei never touched him without causing pain of some form – but soon relaxed. Since there was absolutely nothing that he could or would do to stop Seimei, there was no point in worrying about it. Idly, Soubi wondered what form the first hit would take. Would it be a sharp yank to his hair? A blow across the face? Or a cut to his torso?

This momentary peace was soon shattered by the sound of the music room door creaking open. "See Yumi, I told you they would be here." Two figures entered the room. The first person was a youth of about the same age as Soubi, with curly dark brown hair and an impish grin, the second, a younger, bespectacled girl with a serious demeanor. Both still had their cat ears attached.

"Hey, Aoyagi and Agatsuma, aren't you going to greet your guests? Or am I interrupting your cosy get-together?" His tone and manner cocky, the youth swaggered over to stare down at the two sitting figures. Soubi glanced at the youth disinterestedly. He recognized him as Hanayama Jirou, one of his classmates in language class. Since Fighters had to battle using words, they had to have an extensive vocabulary; hence language class could be considered the most important class taught in school. Soubi remembered Hanayama as one of those obnoxious students who questioned the teacher's every word. Oh yes, he would not hesitate to take down Hanayama should the chance arise.

He shifted his glance to his Sacrifice, waiting for Seimei's orders. Seimei stared at the youth coolly, not even deigning to answer. His response instead, was directed to the girl. "Do you wish to battle us, Etou-san?" His smile was his usual deceptively gentle one.

The girl, Etou Yumi, pushed her spectacles higher with her forefinger, then turned her serious thoughtful eyes on Seimei. "Yes, Aoyagi-kun, I believe I will. Jirou-kun, please prepare for battle. Aoyagi-kun, do you accept our challenge?" Seimei's smile evolved into a predatory smirk. "Oh, I was waiting for it, Etou-san. Only a few people are qualified to challenge me and you happen to be one of them. I accept your challenge. Soubi, get up."

At that order, Soubi stood up from his sitting position with alacrity. He faced Hanayama and Eto, his stance one of readiness. Hanayama raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Just like a trained dog. Neh, don't you agree, Yumi?" Etou tilted her head slightly to one side and brought her thumb to her lips. Sucking slightly on it, she murmured. "His behaviour does seem to resemble one doesn't it?"

Seimei smirked at their blatant tactics. He rose from the piano seat and strolled to stand behind Soubi, confident that his Fighter would not rise to the bait. Sure enough, Soubi merely folded his arms and flipped his blonde hair over his shoulders, a small smile playing about his lips. Dog or tool, it did not matter – he belonged to Seimei and that was all that was important. From behind him, Seimei gave an order. "Defeat them." Soubi bowed his head in acknowledgment of the order.

Hanayama scowled when that failed to provoke a reaction from Soubi. Irritated, he stated, "Let's start. We are Enraged. We challenge you to a fight. Battle system, expand!" Reaching up to remove his spectacles, Soubi pronounced calmly, "We are Beloved and we accept your challenge. Battle system, expand." At those two statements, darkness enveloped the music room, bringing the four persons into a state of alternate reality. All the furnishings were still there; the piano stood quietly in the corner, the violins lay peacefully on the racks and the drum set squatted mutely beside the piano. Yet somehow, these furnishings seemed somewhat diminished, their colours not as vivid as before. For in this world, nothing mattered except words and the spells which they would form.

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**Names in Japanese**

Original characters:

Hanayama Jirou - 花山治郎

Etou Yumi -江藤夕美

From wikipedia:

Aoyagi Seimei -青柳清明

Agatsuma Soubi - 我妻草灯 ,

**I love playing with names...please read and review!**


	2. Part Two

**The battle between Beloved and Enraged starts...**

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**The Evening Before - Part Two**

Hanayama Jirou frowned. The range of Agatsuma's battle system was larger than he had anticipated – it showed that his reputation as one of the top Fighters in the Academy was not to be taken lightly. Still, Hanayama Jirou had confidence in his own abilities. He was sure that he could defeat that pretty face of a blondie and his raven-haired Sacrifice. There was no way he was going to lose to a Fighter who followed orders with a slave-like devotion. Just like a robot. Or a dog.

Etou Yumi noted that Jirou had calmed down when the battle started, yet she knew that there was little he could do to curb his impatient nature. Thus she cautioned him, "Jiro-kun, please follow the plan closely." Hanayama nodded and flashed an impish smile at Etou. "Don't worry, Yumi. Piece of cake." Then, eyes narrowing, with a sweep of his left arm, he began his attack. "The sea. Deepest of all water bodies, with the raging force of nature behind it, drown thy enemies!"

A rushing gush of water materialized out of nothingness, heading towards Soubi and Seimei at light speed. Soubi nodded once, displaying grudging admiration for the powerful attack. "Bubble - strong and flexible. Part of the sea, yet allowing no water within. Envelope us in thy protection." A transparent bubble formed around Soubi and Seimei, shielding them from the onslaught of water. Cushioned by the protective air bubble, Seimei did not suffer any damage at all.

Hanayama Jirou sneered. "Did you really think that such a puny defense would work against us? We are Enraged." His eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Tsunami. Raging sea, pierce through the defense!" The waves striking against the bubble immediately spun itself into a towering whirlwind, dark, powerful and forbidding. The bubble, unable to withstand the continuous rotational buffeting of the combined wind and water, shattered into a thousand pieces. The impact of the shattering could be felt by both Soubi and Seimei, even as the glass-like pieces and water flew forcefully through the air towards the two.

Soubi immediately stepped backwards, closer to Seimei, trying to shelter him from the brunt of the attack, shielding him with his own body. Bloody slashes appeared on his clothes as the glass cut through his flesh, slicing through them with razor sharpness. Slivers of pain shimmered through his body as his flesh was rent apart. However, thanks to his harsh conditioning and training at Ritsu-sensei's hands, Soubi was able to endure them without faltering. He paid them no mind as he stated, "Force dissipated into nothingness, it has no absolutely no physical effect." The remaining incoming objects all melted into nothingness, however, not before one stream of water hit Seimei on his cheek with all the speed and force of a bullet train. Although Seimei did not show any sign of flinching, his eyes flashed with annoyance.

At that hit, manacles sprang out of nowhere and cuffed Seimei's hands, as an outward sign of a point to their opponents. Used to pain as he was, Soubi ignored his own wounds, but turned and eyed his Master worriedly. He took a step towards Seimei involuntarily, then thought better of it, knowing that Seimei would not appreciate a display of concern, and would in fact, find it disgusting coming from Soubi. Peering at the hand-cuff, Seimei frowned and touched his cheek gingerly. This could not continue, Seimei mused. Up till now, he had allowed Soubi to fight on his own, expecting him to make quick work of the other Fighter. He had not expected Soubi to concede the initiative. At this rate, they might actually lose. It looked like he would have to step in after all. "You cannot win this way, Soubi. Stop defending. Turn their attacks back on them. And defeat them at all costs." A bruise was blossoming into existence on Seimei's cheek, marring his beautiful face. Soubi felt a wrench in his heart at his failure to protect his Sacrifice.

"Yes, my Master." Chastened, Soubi turned back to the fight with cool determination. Eyes narrowed, he tilted his head slightly in contemplation as his brain whirled rapidly to find an effective counter-attack. _Turn their attacks back on them huh…_What was one common thing about Hanayama's attacks? In a flash, he understood what he had to do.

Swiftly, Soubi spoke, "Implacable calmness. Envelope the tempest, still the waters, blanket the enemies with a deep, bottomless, never-ending span of water. Water absorbs all impact, defeats any attempts to break through – the enemies struggles are futile. Restrain! " Cold water instantly surrounded Hanayama Jirou and Etou Yumi, restraining their movements and attacks, drowning them in its icy chill. Still, calm water, to mute and drown out the rage of Hanayama's attacks, in essence, to take the sting out of the scorpion.

Etou's face seemed to twist with agony as she clasped tightly at the collar that had appeared around her neck as a result of the attack. Spectacles knocked askew, she seemed to have trouble breathing, as evidenced by the rapid heaving of her chest. His face creased with concern, Hanayama turned to look at Etou worriedly. "You all right, Yumi?" Soubi felt a slight twinge of envy at that question – that Hanayama was able to voice his concern out loud. The relationship between the two were so unlike that between him and Seimei…yet a Fighter's task was to obey his Sacrifice – in that Soubi absolutely believed.

Still panting slightly, Etou nodded once. "Dai...jyoubu...shinpai...shinai...de…defeat them." I'm okay, don't worry...Etou wished she could believe what she told her Fighter. Fists clenched tightly about the collar, nevertheless, she stared at Soubi and Seimei fixedly, her demeanor brave, a hint of rage at her own helplessness touching her eyes. Anxious and furious, yet helpless to help her, Hanayama gritted his teeth tightly and turned back to battle. He too was having difficulty breathing due to the surrounding water, however, Etou, in her role as Sacrifice, had taken most of the damage for him.

_I must not let her have taken damage in vain!_ Hanayama clenched his fists tightly and glared daggers at Agatsuma Soubi. With his next attack, he released all his pent-up rage and frustration in a shout muted by the surrounding water. "Fire! Flames from hell, evaporate all the water and burn a path straight to the enemy!" The surrounding water begun to boil and evaporate as flames, black, hot and enormous, sprang into existence, formed a line and raced straight towards Soubi.

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**Please review:) All feedback and opinions are welcome!  
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	3. Part Three

**The battle between Enraged and Beloved continues...  
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The Evening Before - Part Three**

Burning flames from hell. Soubi knew that if he allowed the attack to reach him and Seimei, the fight would be over. And that could not happen, for Seimei, his Master, had ordered him to _win. _And the only purpose in Soubi's life was to follow his Master's orders – if he was unable to do even that, he would have _nothing; _he'd be no better than a zombie. He'd have to think of a counter-attack fast and not merely defend – as per Seimei's orders, which were absolute. Throwing another glance at the roaring fire, Soubi narrowed his eyes. There was a way…

_Ha, let's see how you like that Agatsuma, _Hanayama gloated mentally as he watched the flames head for Soubi at lightning speed. Before the flames could reach Soubi however, he threw out his right hand in an emphatic gesture and his lips moved. Hanayama's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Soubi's words.

"Ice, sleet, hail. Freezing snowstorm from heaven, put out the flames and pierce the enemies!" Expecting a hasty defense, Hanayama was shocked when Soubi's words caused a blanket of snow to materialize, putting out the flames he had so painstakingly spelled into existence in his previous turn. While a normal snowstorm might not necessarily have managed the feat, the key word lay in Soubi's use of the word 'heaven'. Using the cold, emotionless might of heaven to defeat the furious flames from hell…and with such speed no less…Hanayama was jolted out of his involuntary contemplation when he caught sight of the cold, sharp icicles heading towards him at light speed.

_Yumi cannot take any more damage! _Panicking at that thought, Hanayama gave in to his first instinct. "Defend!" He shouted hastily. The shield that sprang into existence in front of him at his shout was a shimmering, transparent wall. The icicles crashed straight into the shield, their sharp points resulting in great pressure that allowed them to embed themselves in various spots. Soon, spider-web-like cracks spreaded outwards from those spots, throughout the entire shield.

"Icy shards, sharp as diamonds, pierce through!" Fragmenting into a thousand pieces, the shield scattered in all directions as the strengthened icicles flew at Hanayama and Etou. "Guuh...ahh…" cried Etou as one icicle pierced through her shoulder blade. "Yumi…ah…argh!" Hanayama broke off in mid-sentence as several icicles pierced his body all at once. Blood seeping out from his wounds in trickles, he breathed heavily as he realized that two additional bonds had appeared on his Sacrifice – thick heavy manacles chained her ankles together. Judging by how his usually prim and stone-faced Sacrifice was scrunching up her face, making small, involuntary noises and by her trembling hands and legs, it must have been very painful indeed. Still, Etou's eyelashes fluttered as she breathed faintly, "Con…ti…nue…the at…tack…" Even as she suffered unimaginable pain, her eyes flashed with fire befitting her true name.

Seimei's lips curved into a small smile as he watched Etou's struggles. Somehow, watching the suffering of others always warmed his usually cold heart. Yet of both the Fighter and the Sacrifice, Seimei only concentrated his attention on the Sacrifice, deeming the Fighter's suffering to be insignificant and unworthy of his attention. But still, the suffering of one girl could only entertain him for so long…Seimei was getting tired of the fight. "Win this fight quickly, Soubi." Hearing his Sacrifice's command, Soubi bowed his head in acknowledgement. Now the only question was how he could end the fight speedily.

There was absolutely nothing he could do for her at this point, save to fight his way out of this situation. Although Hanayama could not bear to watch Etou suffer, he had to continue – his Sacrifice had made known her wishes and a Fighter who did not obey such important orders was of no use. Yet one more hit and they would lose…out of necessity, he shut Etou's plight out of his mind and tried to gasp out his next spell. Something to end this fight quickly…He cast his eyes about the surroundings desperately…drums, piano, violins…

His weary mind lighted upon a use for these instruments, "All musical instruments, play at a deafening volume, burst the enemies' eardrums!" At those words, a cacophony of sounds and noises (for that could not be called music) rose from the myriad of musical instruments in the room, all directed at Soubi and Seimei.

The noise was deafening, even on Hanayama's end. Seeing Soubi and Seimei instinctively raising their hands to cover their ears, Hanayama allowed himself a flash of hope that maybe, just maybe he would win this fight. But his relief was short-lived when he noticed Soubi's lips moving. Then suddenly, the noise was cut off instantaneously, the sudden silence as deafening as the loud noise had been. In addition, Hanayama soon found that he had difficulty drawing breath and that was not merely due to the shards of icicles stuck in his body. _The bastard…_Hanayama's stomach lurched with a sick realization. _He called forth vacuum, so that sounds would be muted. Both a defense and an attack at the same time…_

Seimei watched with satisfaction as, in light of Soubi's most recent attack, thick chains materialized out of thin air to immobilize Etou Yumi completely. Once the Sacrifice on one side was completely bound, the battle was over. He had won the fight, although it had taken much longer than expected. As the battle systems faded back into reality, he cast a glance at his Fighter, who was standing still waiting for his Sacrifice's approval. Seimei's lips curled as he whispered in Soubi's ear, "You're _useless_, Soubi." At those words, Soubi hung his head like a kicked dog. As befits his lowly status. Well, no matter, he would deal with Soubi later. For now, he walked past Soubi, concentrating all his attention on Etou Yumi, who had proven to be much more troublesome than he had expected. She was someone he had to watch, Seimei mused. Based on her personality, he doubted that she would have sought him out on her own, which meant that she had to be acting on someone's orders. Could it be Ritsu? Or Nana? It could not possibly be Nagisa, because she favoured using the Zero units…

"Etou-san, daijyoubu desu ka?" Seimei's smile was exceptionally gentle as he enquired whether his opponent was feeling alright. Both had collapsed on the floor soon after the battle ended, wounds bleeding, spilling the precious substance all over the music room floor. Cradling Etou's head in his arms Hanayama Jirou stared up at Seimei with cold rage. He could hardly believe his ears. _He has the nerve to ask this question when it's partly his fault that Yumi is in this state? _Before he could speak however, Etou lifted her hand slightly to silence him.

Her gaze stony hard, in spite of her pain, she managed to gasp out, "Aoyagi-san…I acknowledge…your victory…this time…one day…we'll defeat…you." Amused by her bravado, Seimei's lips curved slightly. "Indeed. Perhaps when you recover, we shall cross swords again." With those parting words, he turned to leave. Pausing by the door however, he addressed his Fighter. "Soubi, take those two to the infirmary before returning to your room. After all, one must always see everything to completion." Soubi's obedient nod went unnoticed as Seimei's back remained facing the room.

Without even looking back to see if Soubi obeyed his orders, Seimei left the music room, leaving Soubi to take care of the two wounded opponents, whom, Seimei was sure, would just _love _being taken care of by the person who caused those wounds in the first place. Now he just had to plan out the rest of Soubi's punishment…

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**The End. **

**Many, many thanks to Ariliii for beta-reading this story, even in the midst of exams! :D  
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**To read more about Soubi's punishment, please read the sequel 'Long Night' at **_**http:/ / www. fanfiction .net/s/6031134/1/Long_Night **_**(minus the spaces:D)**_**  
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**All comments and feedback are welcome, please review!  
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